AmaKristu Okuqala NoMbuso
EMAHORENI ambalwa ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe, uJesu watshela abafundi bakhe: “Aniyona ingxenye yezwe, kodwa nginikhethile kulelizwe, ngenxa yalokhu izwe liyanizonda.” (Johane 15:19) Nokho, ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi amaKristu ayezoba nobutha kulabo abayiziphathimandla zalelizwe?
Ayengewona Awezwe Kodwa Engenabo Ubutha
Umphostoli uPawulu watshela amaKristu ayephila eRoma: “Yonke imiphefumulo mayizithobe emagunyeni aphakeme.” (Roma 13:1) Ngokufanayo, umphostoli uPetru wabhala: “Ngenxa yeNkosi zithobeni kuyo yonke indalo engabantu: kungakhathaliseki ukuthi enkosini njengephakeme noma kubabusi njengabathunywe yiyo ukuba banikeze isijeziso kubenzi bokubi kodwa badumise abenzi bokuhle.” (1 Petru 2:13, 14) Kuyacaca ukuthi ukuzithoba eMbusweni nasemanxuseni awo amiswe ngokufanele kwakuyisimiso esamukelekayo kumaKristu okuqala. Ayezama ukuba izakhamuzi ezigcina umthetho nokuhlala ngokuthula nabantu bonke.—Roma 12:18.
Ngaphansi kwesihloko esithi “ISonto Nombuso,” i-Encyclopedia of Religion ithi: “Emakhulwini amathathu okuqala AD isonto lobuKristu lalihlukene kakhulu nabezomthetho baseRoma . . . Nakuba kunjalo, abaholi abangamaKristu . . . babefundisa ukulalela umthetho waseRoma nokwethembeka kumbusi, ngaphakathi kwemingcele yenkolo yobuKristu.”
Udumo, Hhayi Ukukhulekela
AmaKristu ayengenabo ubutha kumbusi waseRoma. Ayelihlonipha igunya lakhe futhi emnika udumo ayelufanele ngenxa yesikhundla ayekuso. Phakathi nokubusa koMbusi uNero, umphostoli uPetru wabhalela amaKristu ayehlala ezingxenyeni ezihlukahlukene zoMbuso waseRoma: “Dumisani abantu bazo zonke izinhlobo, . . . bonisani udumo ngenkosi.” (1 Petru 2:17) Kubantu abakhuluma isiGreki igama elithi “nkosi” lalingasetshenziswa nje kuphela emakhosini endawo kodwa lalisetshenziswa nakumbusi waseRoma. Umphostoli uPawulu waluleka amaKristu ayehlala enhloko-dolobha yoMbuso waseRoma: “Nikezani bonke okubafaneleyo, . . . lowo ofuna udumo, udumo olunjalo.” (Roma 13:7) Umbusi waseRoma ngokuqinisekile wayelufuna udumo. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, wayefuna ngisho nokukhulekelwa. Nokho, lapha amaKristu okuqala abeka umngcele.
Lapho kuqulwa icala lakhe phambi komphathi-sifundazwe waseRoma ngekhulu lesibili C.E., kuthiwa uPolycarp wathi: “NgingumKristu. . . . Sifundiswa ukuba sinikeze lonke udumo olufanele . . . emandleni nakulabo abayiziphathimandla ezimiswe uNkulunkulu.” Nokho, uPoycarp wakhetha ukufa kunokuba akhulekele umbusi. Umlweli wokholo wekhulu lesibili uTheophilus wase-Antiyokiya wabhala: “Ngikhetha ukudumisa umbusi, ngingamkhulekeli nakancane, kodwa ngimthandazela. Kodwa ngikhulekela uNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu ophilayo noweqiniso.”
Imithandazo efanele ephathelene nombusi yayingahlangene nakancane nokukhulekela umbusi noma nobuzwe. Umphostoli uPawulu wachaza injongo yayo: “Ngakho-ke okokuqala kukho konke, ngikhuthaza ukuba ukunxusa, imithandazo, ukuncengela, ukubonga, kwenziwe ngokuphathelene nazo zonke izinhlobo zabantu, ngokuphathelene namakhosi nabo bonke labo abasesikhundleni esiphakeme; ukuze siqhubeke siphila ukuphila okuzolile nokunokuthula ngokuzinikela kokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu okuphelele nokuthatha izinto ngokungathi sína.”—1 Thimothewu 2:1, 2.
“Ayehlukile Emphakathini”
Lokhu kuziphatha okunenhlonipho kwamaKristu okuqala akuwalethelanga ubungane nezwe ayephila kulo. Isazi-mlando saseFrance u-A. Hamman silandisa ukuthi amaKristu okuqala “ayehlukile emphakathini.” Eqinisweni ayehlukile emiphakathini emibili, owamaJuda, nowamaRoma, ebhekana nokubandlululwa nokungaqondwa okukhulu okuvela kuyo yomibili.
Ngokwesibonelo, lapho emangalelwa ngamanga abaholi bamaJuda, umphostoli uPawulu wazivikela phambi kombusi waseRoma ethi: “Angenzanga sono ngokumelene noMthetho wamaJuda noma ngokumelene nethempeli noma ngokumelene noKesari. . . . Ngidlulisela icala kuKesari!” (IzEnzo 25:8, 11) Azi ukuthi amaJuda ayakha uzungu lokumbulala, uPawulu wadlulisela icala kuNero, kanjalo eqaphela igunya lalombusi waseRoma. Ngemva kwalokho, ekuqulweni kokuqala kwecala lakhe eRoma, kubonakala sengathi uPawulu wathethwa icala. Kodwa kamuva waphinde waboshwa, futhi kuthiwa wabulawa ngomyalo kaNero.
Ngokuphathelene nesimo esinzima samaKristu okuqala emphakathini waseRoma, isazi sezokuhlalisana kwabantu nesemfundiso yenkolo u-Ernst Troeltsch sabhala: “Zonke izikhundla nemisebenzi eyayihlangana ngandlela-thile nokukhulekelwa kwezithombe, noma ukukhulekelwa koMbusi, noma leyo eyayihlangana ngandlela-thile nokuchithwa kwegazi noma nokujeziswa ngokubulawa, noma leyo eyayingenza amaKristu ahlangane nokuziphatha okubi kobuqaba yayingavunyelwe.” Ingabe lokhu kuma kwenza amaKristu angaba nobuhlobo obunokuthula nobunokuhloniphana phakathi kwawo noMbuso?
Ukunika UKesari ‘Okumfaneleyo’
UJesu washo amazwi ayeyobusa ukuziphatha kwamaKristu eMbusweni waseRoma noma, empeleni kunoma imuphi omunye uhulumeni, lapho ethi: “Buyiselani izinto zikaKesari kuKesari, kodwa izinto zikaNkulunkulu kuNkulunkulu.” (Mathewu 22:21) Lesi seluleko esiya kubalandeli bakaJesu sasihluke ngokuphelele esimweni sengqondo samaJuda amaningi ayenobuzwe ayekucasukela ukubusa kweRoma futhi ekuphikisa ukuba semthethweni kokukhokha intela embusweni wakwelinye izwe.
Kamuva, uPawulu watshela amaKristu ayehlala eRoma: “Ngakho-ke kukhona isizathu esicindezelayo sokuba nizithobe, hhayi kuphela ngenxa yalololulaka kodwa futhi nangenxa kanembeza wenu. Ngoba kungakho futhi nikhokha izintela; ngoba [“amagunya aphakeme” angohulumeni] ayizinceku zikaNkulunkulu zasobala ezikhonza njalo yona kanye lenjongo. Nikezani bonke okubafaneleyo, lowo ofuna intela, intela; lowo ofuna inkokhiso, inkokhiso.” (Roma 13:5-7) Nakuba amaKristu ayengeyona ingxenye yezwe, ayenesibopho sokuba izakhamuzi ezithembekile, ezikhokha intela, zikhokhela uMbuso ngezinkonzo ozenzayo.—Johane 17:16.
Kodwa ingabe amazwi kaJesu asebenza ekukhokheni izintela kuphela? Njengoba uJesu engazange achaze ngokuqondile ukuthi yini engekaKesari nokuthi yini engekaNkulunkulu, kunezindaba ezingashiwongo nokuthe ngqó okumelwe zinqunywe ngokwezimo noma ngokwendlela esiqonda ngayo iBhayibheli lilonke. Ngamanye amazwi, ukunquma ukuthi iziphi izinto umKristu angazibuyisela kuKesari ngezinye izikhathi kungahilela unembeza walowo mKristu, njengoba uqeqeshwe ngezimiso zeBhayibheli.
Ukulinganisela Ngokucophelela Phakathi Kwezimfuneko Ezimbili Eziphikisanayo
Abantu abaningi bavame ukukhohlwa ukuthi ngemva kokuthi izinto zikaKesari kufanele zibuyiselwe kuye, uJesu wanezela: “Kodwa [buyiselani] izinto zikaNkulunkulu kuNkulunkulu.” Umphostoli uPetru wabonisa ukuthi ikuphi okuza kuqala kumaKristu. Ngemva nje kokweluleka ngokuzithoba “enkosini,” noma umbusi, ‘nababusi’ bayo, uPetru wabhala: “Yibani njengabantu abakhululekile, kodwa nokho ningaphathi inkululeko yenu njengesembozo sobubi, kodwa njengezigqila zikaNkulunkulu. Dumisani abantu bazo zonke izinhlobo, yibani nothando ngayo yonke inhlangano yabafowethu, mesabeni uNkulunkulu, bonisani udumo ngenkosi.” (1 Petru 2:16, 17) Lomphostoli wabonisa ukuthi amaKristu ayizigqila zikaNkulunkulu, hhayi zombusi ongumuntu. Njengoba kufanele abonise udumo nenhlonipho efanele ngamanxusa oMbuso, kumelwe enze kanjalo ngokwesaba uNkulunkulu, onemithetho ephakeme.
Eminyakeni ethile ngaphambili uPetru wayekwenze kwacaca ukuthi umthetho kaNkulunkulu uphakeme kunowabantu. ISanhedrin yamaJuda yayiyindikimba yabaphathi amaRoma ayeyinike igunya phezu kwezakhamuzi nenkolo. Lapho iyala abalandeli bakaJesu ukuba bayeke ukufundisa egameni likaKristu, uPetru nabanye abaphostoli baphendula ngenhlonipho kodwa ngokuqinile: “Kumelwe silalele uNkulunkulu njengombusi kunabantu.” (IzEnzo 5:29) Ngokucacile, amaKristu okuqala kwakudingeka alondoloze ukulinganisela ngokucophelela phakathi kokulalela uNkulunkulu nokuzithoba okufanele emagunyeni angabantu. UTertullian wakubeka ngalendlela ekuqaleni kwekhulu lesithathu C.E.: “Uma konke kungokukaKesari, yini ezosalela uNkulunkulu?”
Ukuvumelana NoMbuso
Njengoba isikhathi sihamba, ukuma okwathathwa amaKristu ekhulu lokuqala ngokuphathelene noMbuso kwaya kuba buthakathaka kancane kancane. Ukuhlubuka okwabikezelwa uJesu nabaphostoli kwachuma ngekhulu lesibili nelesithathu C.E. (Mathewu 13:37, 38; IzEnzo 20:29, 30; 2 Thesalonika 2:3-12; 2 Petru 2:1-3) AmaKristu ahlubukayo avumelana nomphakathi waseRoma, amukela imikhosi yawo yobuqaba nefilosofi yawo, futhi angagcina ngokwamukela izinkonzo zomphakathi kodwa amukela nezinkonzo zempi.
UProfesa Troeltsch wabhala: “Kusukela ngekhulu lesithathu kuya phambili isimo saba nzima nakakhulu, ngoba amaKristu anda ezikhundleni eziphakeme zoMphakathi nasemisebenzini evelele kakhudlwana, empini nasemikhakheni yezomthetho. Ezindimeni eziningana emibhalweni yamaKristu [engeyona eyeBhayibheli] kunokukhononda kwentukuthelo okumelene nokuhlanganyela kulezi zinto; ngakolunye uhlangothi, sithola nemizamo yokuvumelana nazo—imibono eklanyelwe ukuthulisa onembeza abangakhululekile . . . Kusukela ngesikhathi sikaConstantine lezi zinkinga zanyamalala; ukungezwani phakathi kwamaKristu namaqaba kwaphela, futhi kwavuleka zonke izikhundla eMbusweni.”
Ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesine C.E., lolu hlobo lobuKristu olonakalisiwe, oluyekethisayo lwaba inkolo yoMbuso waseRoma.
Kuwo wonke umlando walo, eLobukholwa—limelelwe amasonto obuKatolika, ubu-Orthodox, nobuProthestani—liye laqhubeka livumelana noMbuso, lingena shí kwezombangazwe zawo futhi liwusekela ezimpini zawo. Amalungu esonto amaningi aqotho okuye kwawamangaza lokhu ngokungangabazeki angajabula ukwazi ukuthi namuhla kunamaKristu abambelela ekumeni kwamaKristu ekhulu lokuqala ngokuphathelene nobuhlobo bawo noMbuso. Izihloko ezimbili ezilandelayo zizoxoxa ngalendaba ngokuningilizwe kakhudlwana.
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UKesari uNero, uPetru abhala ngaye ukuthi: “Bonisani udumo ngenkosi”
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Musei Capitolini, Roma
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UPolycarp wakhetha ukufa kunokuba akhulekele umbusi
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AmaKristu okuqala ayeyizakhamuzi ezinokuthula, ezithembekile, nezikhokha intela